Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey made such an iconic couple in the 2000s. It seemed like the perfect marriage—she was a pop star, he was part of the famous boy band 98 Degrees. The two met in 1998 through the manager they shared. At that time, Simpson hadn't released her album yet while 98 Degrees was already at their second album. The next time they were seen together was at a Teen People party in Florida two years later.
That's when they officially began dating. They even bought condos just two floors apart in the same building in Los Angeles. The two eventually did musical collaborations and concert tours together. In 2001, they briefly broke up. The Irresistible singer said she called it quits to focus on her album. By that, she meant she needed "to date other guys and see what else was out there." They got back together after a few months.
In February 2002, Lachey proposed to Simpson on a yacht during sunset in Hawaii. They had a traditional Christian wedding ceremony in Austin, Texas. The footage of the ceremony was featured on one full episode of Newlyweds, their MTV reality show that aired in 2003. The show lasted three seasons. In 2005, the two announced their divorce. 15 years later, Jessica Simpson published her memoir Open Book which keeps spilling more details about the failed marriage.
They Were 'Trying So Hard To Be The Perfect Couple'
Jessica Simpson revealed the real reason her marriage with Nick Lachey didn't work in an appearance on Sunrise. She said, "You got it authentic for sure in the first two [seasons of Newlyweds], but the third one we were definitely trying too hard to be the perfect couple." According to the now 40-year-old businesswoman, she and Lachey weren't even talking during the third season of the reality show anymore.
Simpson explained, "We started shooting for the first time six weeks into our marriage and it was the first time we were ever living together." The With You singer was only 23 at that time, too. Lachey was 30. The couple had to deal with the pressures of keeping it together for the cameras even when both of them were already seeing how different they actually were. One of these irreconcilable differences was their spiritual beliefs.
The 98 Degrees member found his ex-wife's family dynamics "weird." It's probably things like the pop star receiving a purity ring from her father at the age of 12. Simpson was notably vocal about saving herself for marriage. "Of all the things about myself, staying a virgin until my wedding night is the thing that makes me most proud," she said on an episode of Newlyweds.
They Were 'Edited So Much Throughout The Seasons'
The A Public Affair singer also told Sunrise, "We wanted to get the cameras out because we didn't even understand who we were as a couple anymore because we had been edited so much throughout the seasons." Simpson said it wasn't the reality show that broke their marriage. However, she admitted that it put tremendous pressure on their relationship.
Evidently, it was too much for the couple that Simpson sought comfort in the company of her Dukes of Hazzard co-star, Johnny Knoxville. In her memoir, she confessed to having had an "emotional affair" with Knoxville. She also wrote that she "felt a force drawing [us] together" and that they exchanged "love letters."
Lachey channeled all his feelings on his 2006 single What's Left of Me. It became his biggest hit single. He said he recorded the song the very day he and Simpson decided to file for divorce. He revealed that he hadn't "completely let go" of the relationship at that time.
Jessica Simpson Doesn't Regret Doing The Show
Simpson doesn't regret doing the show. In 2003, she even said, "I believe that Nick and I are going to last forever. And if we don't, it'll make a good reality show." Surely enough, fans absolutely loved Newlyweds and regard it as iconic to this day.
When asked about Simpson's recent revelations about their past relationship, Lachey told NBC's Today Show, "I’ll be honest, I obviously haven’t read the book, so I don’t know what she said or what she revealed there, but I’m certainly happy for her and her life, I know she is happy for us."
"There’s definitely a mutual respect there, so that’s, you know — obviously it was a long time ago. We’ve all moved on," Lachey added. He's been married to his wife Vanessa Minnillo for 10 years now and they have three kids together. Simpson has also evolved drastically over the years. She's moved on from music and into fashion retail, making her a billion-dollar entrepreneur. She's currently married to NFL player Eric Johnson with whom she has three children.